Bandits have released a 15-year-old boy and six girls kidnapped from Gidan-Bijimi community in Kawu ward of Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), after collecting N2 million ransom from the victims’ relatives.

Daily Trust had reported that bandits, wielding sophisticated weapons, on Wednesday around 9:30 pm, invaded Gidan-Bijimi near neighbouring Marke village, along the border between the FCT and Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The victims, natives of Kuchaba village in Kagarko LGA, were in Gidan-Bijimi to attend the burial of a 95-year-old woman, Jummai Tanko, when the gunmen abducted them, after they reportedly missed their main target, Mr Thomas Waha Sarki, who is an uncle of the victims.

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Confirming their release to our correspondent by telephone on Monday, Sarki said the victims, identified as Blessing Awu, Abigail Kasabare, Asabe Joshua, Kankani Joshua, Talatu Jaba, Agnes Kasabare and the 15-year-old boy, David Awu, were released on Saturday night.

He stated that the bandits initially demanded N300 million but later reduced the ransom to N2 million after intense negotiations that began on Friday and continued into Saturday.

According to him, the victims were released in Kuyeri forest in Kagarko LGA, where the ransom was delivered, and they trekked for hours to return home.

Sarki said he had to sell several bags of ginger from his harvest and borrow money to raise the N2 million.

“And even the N2 million we finally arrived at, I had to sell some bags of ginger that I harvested and borrowed some money to raise the N2m before finally handing it to them through a negotiator.” he said.

He described the experience as painful, noting that as a peasant farmer struggling to survive, the payment was a heavy burden.

He added that he was grateful the victims were released unharmed.

Efforts to reach the FCT Police Command’s spokesperson, Adeh Josephine, were unsuccessful as calls to her line were not returned at the time of filing this report.